Like No Father
by Aura Black Chan
Summary: Joey Wheeler's mother calls him about a problem she's having with Serenity; one that only he can help her with
1. The Unexpected Phonecall

Hello all! This is my first fic, so please be kind.

Kaiba: What?! Are you saying we're in the hands of a rank AMATURE!?!

Aura Black Chan: Who said you were even in this fic?

Kaiba: Well then who else in the series is even worth writing about?

ABC: Joey and Serenity Wheeler.

Kaiba: Heh, perfect. Work out all your writing inadequacies on the dog then come write about me!

ABC: Actually, I have one planned for you.

Kaiba (getting suspicious): What?

ABC: Oh, nothing! Just go try to relax now, while I work on this!

Kaiba: No! Tell me what you have planned!

ABC: Do you really want to know?

Kaiba: YES!

ABC: Okay, c'mere, I'll tell ya.

Kaiba leans in, while Aura Black Chan whispers something to him.

ABC: (Quietly) The Disclaimer.

Kaiba (looking furious): FINE! AURA BLACK CHAN DOES NOT OWN YU-GI OH! THERE ARE YOU HAPPY?!?

ABC (smiling): Yes that will do.

Kaiba: Get some better initials Miss ABC!

ABC (glaring): On with the story now.

****

Like No Father

****

Chapter 1: The Unexpected Phone Call

Joey Wheeler sat on the train watching the scenery slip past, his overnight bag on the seat next to him. The steady rhythm of the engine caused his mind to slip back to few weeks earlier, when he had received an unexpected phone call.

***Three weeks ago***

He was at his friend Yugi Moto's house, the stress of school slowly ebbing away from them, when the phone rang.

"I'll just get this Joey, then we can start watching the movie as soon as the others get here." Yugi said, as he walked across the room to answer the phone. Just then, a loud 'ding' went off. "Why don't you take the pizza out of the oven? It should be ready now!"

"Yeah, sure thing Yug!" He called back. They had just finished their finals, school would be out in a few more weeks, and they had a night of pizza, friends, and movies ahead of them. Life just didn't get much better!

There was a knock at the door as Joey set the pizza on a hot plate, and Yugi answered the phone. "I'll get that Yug! It's probably Tristan, Bakura, and Tea." 

He heard Yugi say hello to whomever it was as he opened the door to admit their friends.

"C'mon in! We're just getting set-up!" he said allowing them in. "Hey, you remembered the sodas and chips! Great!"

Tea turned to him, half-smirking. "Like you'd ever let us forget it if we didn't."

"Come on, let's set this stuff down! It gets heavy after a few blocks!" Tristan, looking red faced, and exhausted, seemed ready to collapse.

"Yeah, sorry. Just set everything in the-"

"Joey?" This was Yugi calling him over.

"Eh, what is it Yug?"

Yugi was now holding the phone out to him, a puzzled look on his face. "It's your mother, she says she needs to talk to you."

The room suddenly went quiet. Joey's parent's had divorced when he was little, his mother taking his younger sister, Serenity, with her leaving Joey behind with his less than stellar father. 

While Joey had made an effort to keep in touch with his sister, he had not spoken with his mother until recently, when Serenity had undergone surgery to restore her vision. Since then, he'd had a somewhat more comfortable relationship with his mother, but the hurt of being left behind still lingered.

Joey took the phone, feeling somewhat queasy. "Uh, thanks Yugi. I'll just take it over here." 

Dreading what was to come, he put the receiver to his ear.

"Hello, Mom?"

"Joseph?"

He frowned. She was the only one who ever called him that. 

"Yeah, ma, it's me. What is it? And how did you know to call me at Yugi's?"

She paused, as if trying to decide how to go on. "I took the chance that you might be there instead of home. Since you just finished your finals, I thought that you'd be celebrating with them there. You all seemed so close, especially you and Yugi."

"Oh, alright. So what's- wait a minute! How did you know I just had finals?"

Another pause, this one sounding more loaded. "Joseph, just because I don't have custody of you doesn't mean that I can't have access to how you're doing in school, at least. I got a notice about them coming up weeks ago."

"Wha-"

"It was part of the agreement I had with your father when we divorced. I thought you knew about it." she said. More cautiously now, "How did you do?"

"Eh, okay. I think I did better in math than I was expecting, but I know I passed History, and, I think, English." Long pause. "What else did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, you see, it's Serenity-"

"What! What happened?!!"

"Nothing!" She said quickly. "But there is a problem that she needs your help with."

"Oh." He sighed, panic over his sister suddenly evaporating from him. "Well, whatever it is, that's what I'm here for, so lay it on me! What's up?"

Okay, so did you like it, or should I quit while I'm ahead? I won't know unless you review!


	2. The Request

HI EVERYONE!

I just checked my E-mail to see if anyone reviewed, since I practically had to HUNT for my story on FF.NET. Imagine my surprise when I saw that I had already received SIX REVIEWS! SIX! I couldn't have been happier if it was TEN TIMES as many!

Anyway, thank you to all who reviewed, and I will try to answer any questions anyone had in this chapter. Special thanks to Mamono for reviewing, it totally made my day, and to Millenium mutant as well. (Oh, and my advice to you, M.m., is that you ask them what their demands are first, then be prepared for the fall-out. Maybe if you gave them each their favorite plushie)!

Aura Black Chan: Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you here yet! How are you?

Serenity: Oh, fine thanks! (looks worried)

ABC: What's wrong?

Serenity: Well, in the trailer you said that I had some sort of problem that only Joey could help with.

ABC: Yes, and?

Serenity: There's nothing wrong with me, is there? I mean, I don't need a Bone Marrow Transplant or something, do I?

ABC: Oh! NO! Nothing like that! I swear!

Serenity: (relieved) Good! I wouldn't want anyone to worry! Especially not Joey!

ABC: Didn't you finish reading the first chapter? I've been told it was too short.

Serenity: I had to finish my homework.

ABC: Oh. Well, that's okay then. Want to do the disclaimer?

Serenity: Sure! Aura Black Chan does NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!

ABC: Whew! Nice lungs!

****

Like No Father

Chapter Two: The Request

The squeal of brakes snapped him out of his revere, as he listened for the PA system to announce his stop. Listening, he realized he still had another four stops, at least.

Relaxing back into his seat, Joey Wheeler returned to his thoughts, and his reason for being there. 

Serenity. Only for his little sister would he come so far, do so much, and risk being left open to so much hurt.

"A dance?"

"That's right." His mother had said. "There's a dance coming up at her school in three weeks, and she needs for you to go with her."

Of all the things he had imagined his mother saying to him, this had to be at the very bottom of the list of things to expect.

"Uhhhm, wouldn't she feel a little weird going to a school dance with her older brother?" Sure, he'd do anything for his little sister, but be her date at a dance?

"Oh, Joey, I should have mentioned before."

"What?" he asked, getting slightly suspicious.

"It's a Father-Daughter Dance."

"Ooooooohhh." Suddenly he understood why she needed him to help her.

"I only just found out about it myself." His mother went on. "One of the teachers on the dance committee called here to find out if Serenity would be going, and if she, or her father, had any food allergies they should be aware of."

"Ouch." Not much else you can say to that. Then another thought occurred to him.

"Uh, Ma, these people are gonna notice I'm not Serenity's father the second I walk in without five o'clock shadow. What about that?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." she went on. "I explained to the person who called that her father would not be taking her, but that you might. Apparently, she's not the only one who will have another family member going, because he went on to say that it was fine, but they needed a head count by tonight."

"How come you only just found out about it?" he asked.

Long pause.

"Ma?"

"She didn't tell me."

"Huh? Why?"

"I asked her that after they called earlier." she said.

"And?"

Another long pause. Then.

"She said that she didn't want to ask you to come here just for her, especially since you'd never been invited before."

"Oh." He said quietly.

"I know." She paused again before going on.

"Joey, please, I know I haven't been the best mother to you, but Serenity really needs you to go to this with her. I never really dated anyone after your father and I divorced, so she has never really had a consistent male role model. Except for you."

They were both quiet for a moment.

"There's one more thing, Joey." She went on.

"Yeah?"

"The day before the dance is your last day of school, right?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Well, I was wondering…"

"Go on."

"I was wondering, if, maybe, you'd like to spend a little time visiting with us here." She finally managed to say.

Joey couldn't believe his ears. He used to dream about going to live with his mother and sister when he was little, even if it was only for a short stay. There were even times when he would half believe his fathers' rants that his mother had left him behind because he was 'a no-good kid'. Now here was his mother, not only inviting him to visit with them, but asking him to take his sister to a Father-Daughter dance.

Incredible.

"Joey?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." He answered.

"Well?"

"How long were you thinking I could visit?" he asked.

"How long would you like to?" she answered.

It was too much. He thought he'd heard wrong. It sounded as if he had just been invited to stay with them as long as he wanted.

He was suddenly aware that his knees could no longer support him, and that he was slowly sinking to the floor. He couldn't hold it back anymore as the tears started to roll down his face.

"JOEY?!"

"Wha…"

"Joey! What's wrong?! What happened?! Are Serenity and your mother okay?!"

He suddenly realized that his friends were all kneeling on the floor around him, and that he hadn't said anything for several minutes. Yugi was right in front of him, gently shaking him, and looking scared.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." He finally said with a smile, feeling somewhat foolish. "Yeah, everything's fine."

Tristan gave him a strange sort-of look then. "Well, then if everything's 'fine', then what's going on?" he asked.

Joey smiled, leaned over, and grabbed onto both of Tristan's shoulders as he spoke his next words.

"I'm taking Serenity to the dance." He beamed.

"Huh?" Tristan was clearly struggling, and failing miserably, to keep the look of disappointment off his face. "What dance?" he finally managed to ask.

Oh, poor Tristan! At least he doesn't have to kick himself for not asking Serenity out sooner!

I'm just getting warmed up here! I'll try to update at least every other day, and make the chapters a decent length (I hate short chapters too. It's such a cruel tease!).

When I started writing this chapter last night, my story had been posted less than 24 hours, and at the time I only had the above mentioned reviews. I have since received a few more. Many thanks to **ALL** who took the time to read and review with their wonderful praise!

Now go forth and do so again! 

****


	3. The First Promise

Hi All!

Reviews are wonderful things! So for all of you who were kind enough to do so, (shame on you if you didn't), here are the answers to a few of your questions!

Emily 10: No, this is not going to be a Seto/Serenity fic, but I would not be opposed to taking a crack at one. Inspiration has not yet struck for me in that area. I do, however, have plans to write a brother's fic about Seto and Mokuba in the near future. Let me get through this first.

Millenium mutant: I'm sorry that wouldn't help, but if all else fails my sister B-Chan5 says you can borrow her 'Magical Crystal Sword Corona' to remind them of who's boss! BTW, I take back what I said before about 'a fresh coat of paint'. Indoor paint ball. Now THAT would be fun!

Mamono: I'm glad it helped so much! Your stories always make me smile! Anyone who has not read 'Fairy Tales in Waltz', or 'Experiment Chibi' should go do so right after this! Don't worry too much about the monkeys. I LIVE with a red monkey, and she's NOT the kind I can get rid of by uploading a new chapter! Not fun.y7u6yuhMEOW! (Sorry. The cat had to add her two cents worth just now!) Just remember; "It's all in the heart of the Cookie!"

Thanks to everyone else for your wonderful praise, and no, I don't plan on abandoning this fic. Ever. However, by the end of this story I WILL tell you what song INSPIRED it! That is, if someone hasn't already guessed. 

Aura Black Chan: Uh, hi. Is there a problem?

Tristan: How could you DO this to ME?!

Aura: Do what?

Tristan: You know what! Why are you sending Serenity to a dance with JOEY?!! I mean, he's her BROTHER for crying out loud! That's just WRONG!!!

Aura: (glaring at him) Don't ANY of you finish reading my chapters as they come out? At least Serenity had an excuse, but you were IN that chapter! Go back, and reread it!

Tristan: (a few minutes later, and looking red) Oh, um, about that little hissy I threw a few minutes ago….

Aura: (waves him off) Forget it. Just do the disclaimer and I'll forgive you.

Tristan: (relieved) Sure! Okay! AURA BLACK CHAN DOES NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!

Aura: (sighs) Again with the yelling.

A.N.- _Thoughts_. Whoever's. Also, much fluffy-goodness included!

****

Like No Father

Chapter Three: The First Promise 

A beautiful park stretched out, endlessly it seemed, along his side of the train. Bike paths and walking trails crisscrossed through the lush gardens and manicured lawns. He could see people taking advantage of the glorious weather; parents with their small children on blankets, couples going hand in hand down secluded trails, some were even out playing Frisbee with their dogs.

He smiled to himself. '_It's not that far by train_.' He thought_. 'Maybe tomorrow we could all come back here and just hang out for awhile. Yeah, that'd be sweet_.'

Looking at his watch, he sighed happily. He'd be there soon. In just two more stops, he'd be home.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Shut up."

"Awww, Tris, you should have seen the look on your face! It was just too much!"

"I said shut up!"

He couldn't though. He was on a roll!

"Well, I'm sure Serenity will be happy to hear you consider her a little sister."

"Joey…"

"I know Duke will be happy to hear it!'

"Grrraaahhh, THAT'S IT!"

Tristan leapt up, grabbed Joey by the front of his shirt, and soon had him pinned to the ground! Joey, however, could not have cared less. He was too busy laughing!

Watching this amusing spectacle from the kitchen table were Yugi, Tea, and Bakura. 

It was actually a nice change from the norm. Joey usually got a murderous look on his face if he thought someone was so much as THINKING about his sister in a more than friendly manner! He was taking Tristan's obvious reaction to the upcoming dance well though, better than anyone of them would have expected him to. He was actually flippant about it!

"I wonder how long Joey will be able to joke about this?" Yugi said after a minute.

"Probably until Serenity calls back later." Tea said. "At which point he will remember that he thinks any of his friends dating his little sister is a BAD thing!" 

Once Joey had pulled himself together, and assured his mother that he would love to take Serenity to the dance, she had promised to have her call him back at Yugi's later that night. He had explained afterwards, over their pizza, about the dance at her school, and he'd taken great pleasure in teasing Tristan about his look of sheer disappointment.

"You know, some of this is most likely post-final-exam stress." Tea went on. "Maybe we should just leave them to it for a little while?"

CRASH!

"Or, perhaps not." Bakura said, as a lamp got knocked off an end table, and shattered on the floor. The 'wrestling match' immediately ended.

"Whoops." Tristan, the master of understatement, said.

"Eh, sorry Yug. We'll, ah, clean it up." Joey said, somewhat mortified.

"Yeah, sorry Yugi." Tristan said. He'd just reached over and unplugged the remains of the ruined lamp.

Yugi only shrugged. "Forget it. It was old, and kind of ugly. Grandpa actually wanted to get a new one anyway, but since that one still worked, there was no real reason to." He smiled reassuringly. "Now there is."

"We'll pay for the new one." Tristan said as Joey nodded in agreement.

"Forget about it. Are we gonna watch movies now, or what?"

"Sounds good to me!" Tea said, brightly. "Bakura, that was your job. What did you get?"

"Oh, uhmm, they're in the bag on the T.V. table." He said as he walked into the next room. "I wasn't sure what anyone would want to see, so I picked out a few that looked good." Removing four D.V.D.'s from the bag, he politely handed them over to Yugi.

"So what've we got?" Joey asked.

Yugi shuffled through the selection, and smiled.

"These are great Bakura! Good choice!" he praised. Bakura only blushed slightly.

"Let's see." Tea said.

Yugi read aloud. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

"YES!" Tristan shouted.

"Robin Hood: Men in Tights"

"Hahahaha! Good one!" Joey laughed.

"The Princess Bride"

"Oh, I LOVE that movie!" Tea exclaimed.

"And 'Spirited Away'. Oh, I haven't even seen that one yet!" Yugi said excitedly. "Anyone mind if we watch this first?"

"Sure thing Yugi." Tristan called from the kitchen door, which led outside. He had just disposed of the remains of the demolished lamp in the outside trash. "After four weeks of non-stop studying, I could use a break from reality!"

Everyone agreed, putting the other movies aside for later. Since it was Friday night, they had decided to have an all-nighter with movies. Tristan, Joey, Bakura, and Yugi were going to sleep in his room, while Tea took the spare bedroom down the hall. That is, IF anyone got around to sleeping.

As they settled in with sodas and snacks, Joey's mind drifted briefly back to what his mother had said. 

__

'How long would you like to stay?'

If he were going to be totally honest with himself, forever, but… that would mean leaving Domino, and his friends.

He turned this over in his mind for a while; and decided he couldn't do it.

He'd been through too much with all of them, especially this last year. Hell, if it wasn't for them, especially Yugi, he never would have made it through 'Duelist Kingdom', much less been able to get the money for his sisters eye surgery.

They had all been there for each other for some of the best and worst moments in their lives. He couldn't, wouldn't, walk away now.

Where did that leave him then with his mother and sister? It wasn't as if visiting was impossible, but it was difficult being so far apart. At the end of the 'Battle City Tournament', he and Serenity had said their good-byes, and she went home to their mother.

Would he really be able to say good-bye again at the end of his visit? More importantly, how would he deal with going back to living with his father when he came home? So much to think about.

"Joey?"

"Huh?"

"Joey, are you in there?" Tea was gently nudging him.

"What? What'd I miss?"

"The entire movie apparently." Tristan answered.

"What? No way!"

"Yes way!" Tristan replied. "Somewhere around the time Chihiro and her parents walked through the tunnel to the spirit world, you just sort of zoned-out. You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, just thinking way too much, I guess."

"Weren't we supposed to avoid that tonight?" and if anyone other than ever-polite and serious Bakura had said that, it wouldn't have been half as funny. It started a brief outburst of laughter.

"Why don't we stop for a little while?" Tea suggested, after a minute.

"Great idea!" Tristan answered, before making a quick exit down the hall. "I gotta pee!" could be heard, right before the bathroom door was closed.

"Are you sure you're alright, Joey?" Yugi asked. "You don't usually get that distracted."

"Unless there's food involved." Tea said, with a somewhat sarcastic half-smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay. No worries. I'm just not sure about-"

He was suddenly cut off, when the phone rang. Yugi went to answer it.

"Your not sure about what, Joey?" Tea asked.

"Huh? What's going' on?" Tristan had just returned from the bathroom. "What aren't you sure about?"

Joey suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had not told his friends that his mother had subtly implied that he could come to live with them if he wanted. He was old enough now, so that if he wanted to, his father couldn't, legally, do anything about it. The only question now was, did he really want to.

Yugi saved him from having to answer this immediately.

"It's for you, Joey. It's Serenity."

"Thanks, man." Joey took the phone from him, catching a quick look of the expression on Tristan's face at the mention of his sister's name.

He glared at him. "Keep your hands, thoughts, and everything else off of my sister!" 

"Yep, he's over it." Tea observed.

"We'll wait till you guys are done talking before we start the next movie." Yugi told him, as they left the kitchen.

"Yeah, think you'll be able to stay awake this time, man?" Tristan called over his shoulder.

"Shaddup!" Joey yelled back before turning to the phone in his hand.

"Hello, Serenity?"

"Joey?"

He smiled. Everything suddenly seemed a little better. "Hey, sis. What's this I hear about a dance at your school?"

"Oh, Joey, I'm sorry!"

"For what? Not telling me?"

"Pretty much." She answered. "I just didn't want you to feel, I don't know. Obligated I guess."

"What? Why do you think I'd feel obligated? You're my sister! Of course I'd want to take you!"

"I know that, and I knew that you would if I asked you to."

"So what's the big deal then?"

She sighed before she continued, "I don't ever want you, or anyone else to feel that they have to be responsible for making me happy."

"Aww sis, you shouldn't feel that way. You could always ask me for anything you needed. Anytime!" he emphasized.

"The dance was really no big deal to me. Honest!" she continued. "It was just one more Father-Daughter event that I wouldn't be able to go to. It really didn't mean that much to me."

"So then, why didn't you mention it to me before?" Their mother had told him, but he wanted to hear it from her.

On the other end, she paused, as if gathering her strength.

"It was because if I asked you to do this, it would mean that you would have to come stay here for a couple of days, and I knew how much that might hurt you. Just visiting, I mean."

"Serenity-"

"You've already done so much for me Joey!" she went on, sounding as if she were crying. "You've gone above, and beyond what anyone should ever have to expect from their big brother! I was never going to ask you to do this, because you have already done more than enough!"

"Oh, sis…"

"I feel like I owe you everything, Joey! I can never pay you back for what you've done for me! Not ever!"

Joey was quiet for a minute. He had never wanted Serenity to feel that she was obligated to him. If she only knew how often it was that it was thinking of her that had made him want to keep going, she wouldn't wonder about why he had done so much for her. Maybe now was a good time to remind her.

"Do you remember that time we went to the beach, back when we were little?"

"Yeah, that was right before Mom and Dad split-up, right?"

"Do you remember the promise we made that day?" he asked. "I promised you, that day, that if you ever needed me, I'd be there for you, and I meant it."

"Oh, Joey…"

"Say, speaking of things we did together back then, do you remember us going to a play with Mom and Dad once?"

"I think so. It was one of those outdoor, community theater type of shows, right?"

"Yeah, do you remember what play we saw?" he asked.

Serenity had to think about this for a minute. She'd only been five, or six at the time, after all.

"Oh!" she suddenly remembered. "We saw 'Oliver'!"

"Yeah, that's right. 'Oliver'." He smiled into the receiver, as he remembered that day, the show, and how much she'd enjoyed it. Then, much to Serenity's surprise, he started, very softly, to sing one of the songs.

"'Oh, I'd do anything…'"

"Oh, Joey…"

"'…For you, sweet, anything!'"

"Joey."

"'I'd do anything!'" he went on.

"'…Anything!'" she joined him.

"'…Anything!'" he continued.

"'…Anything!'" she sang back, then the two of them, together.

"'…Anything, anything, at all!'" they finished. They were both silent for a moment, or two after that. Then, Joey finally spoke.

"So, does this mean you want to go to the dance with me?" he asked.

She smiled on her end. Not that he could see it, but he imagined it there, all the same.

"I love you, Joey. Yes, I would love to go to the dance with you."

Joey felt happier than he had in years.

'That's great! I'll talk to you again, soon, I promise!" he paused for a moment. "I love you too."

"I probably should let you get back to your movie now. Tell everyone there I said hello."

"Will do." He answered. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She said back, before hanging-up.

Joey returned the receiver to the cradle, still smiling. He could hardly wait to take his sister to the dance.

Dance?

It suddenly occurred to him that dancing might be involved… 

"Joey?"

"Wha?" It was Bakura talking to him this time.

"You don't look well, is there something wrong?"

"Err, you could say that."

"Well, what is it?"

Joey looked his friend straight in the eye. "I can't dance."

A look of comprehension crossed Bakura's face. "Aaaaahhhh."

Sorry this chapter is so late, but I suddenly got 'writer's block', and didn't know what to do with it. It all turned out for the best though, and everyone got a nice, long chapter to read (over 2,000 words, incase anyone is wondering!).

No, Joey's last thoughts on the train do NOT necessarily reflect his final decision, but I wouldn't mind hearing anyone else's thoughts on this.

Before I forget to mention it, I do not own any of the movies mentioned in this chapter. They are some of my favorites though! I also don't own the play, 'Oliver', or any of the music in it.

Oh, and one last thing…. GO RED SOX!!!!!!

Read and review, please!


	4. Learning to Dance

WELCOME BACK!

Thank you everyone who waited so patiently for me to update. There was a gremlin hanging around somewhere, and he messed up my disk. Hence, Chapter Three was very late. Then I had SEVERE WRITER'S BLOCK for chapter four! (Oh, the Drama!) I give all credit for this chapter finally being out to Mamono. Thanks for the help, girl! (Go read her fics, after this!)

Thank you to everyone for the reviews! Now for the replies!

Emily 10: I'm glad your enjoying the story, and I hope you like another fic I'm going to be working on (hopefully soon) about the Kaiba brothers. No, I don't think I believe in the 'Curse of the Bambino', at least not in this case. (Sighs. Why didn't they just take Pedro out?)

Mamono: Thanks! I was going for fluff! Mission accomplished! (Expect more, soon!) You're entirely welcome! You were kind enough to mention my story at the end of one of your chapters, so there you go!

YAMI GIRL3: I was showing my support for the Boston Red Sox (see above). I love it when Joey's being a sweetie too, another reason to finish this fic!

Calcifier: Yes, I'm a Red Sox fan, and thank you for not holding that against me! I'd hate to think the playoffs had lost me some reviewers! Updates will hopefully be more regular (say, at least once a week). I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Saphirus*Falcon(): Thank you! I plan on letting people know where I got the idea for this fic very soon! No, boys don't seem to think about the actual dancing part of a dance, until after they get a date for one! (No offence to any guys who might be reading this!)

Thank you, also, to Millenium mutant, Saiyan-Kitsune-Foxfire, Gingerpen, and anyone else who has reviewed since the posting of last chapter!

Aura Black Chan: Hey, what's up?

Yugi: Oh, um, I was just wondering….

Aura: (getting suspicious) 'Bout what?

Yugi: (hesitating) Well, err, I was wondering if you really plan to send Joey to live with his mom?

Aura: (sighing) Why is it none of you bothers to finish reading my chapters?

Yugi: (defensivly) I did!

Aura: (puzzled) Did you read what I put at the end?

Yugi: You mean 'GO RED SOX'?

Aura: No, I mean before that.

Yugi: You mean the part where you apologise to the readers for the late chapter?

Aura: (getting frustrated now) No, I mean after that.

Yugi: (look of understanding) Oh, you mean the part where you say you don't own any of the movies we-

Aura: (getting a headache) Please, just go back and reread the end. PLEASE!

Yugi: (a few minutes later) So you haven't decided yet?

Aura: Nope. Neither has Joey.

Yugi: Oh, alright then.

Aura: Would you mind doing the disclaimer while you're here?

Yugi: Okay! AURA BLACK CHAN DOES NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! 

Aura: (sighs) I swear, the yelling is just to agravate me. 

****

Like No Father 

****

Chapter Four: Learning to Dance

As the train finally slowed to a stop, he got up, stretched, and yawned. Gathering his things together, he started to leave, making sure it was the right stop, and that he had left nothing behind.

Stepping off the train into the fresh spring air, he inhaled deeply, and smiled. Now all he needed to do was find them!

The large clock that dominated the entryway to the train station read 11:29. Thirty minutes before his train was supposed to arrive. They weren't here yet!

"So much for being early being a good thing." He mumbled under his breath.

Releasing a small sigh of frustration, he went to a nearby concession area, and got himself a soda, burger, and fries. At least he wouldn't be hungry while he waited.

Finding a bench in an open area, he set down his bags to wait, hopefully not for too long. He noticed the clock only read 11:32 now. Great. That was just great! Time always seemed to move much slower when you were waiting for something you wanted. The last few weeks had certainly demonstrated that!

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Not even a little?"

"Nope."

"What about-"

"Look, Tea! I can't dance! Okay?" Joey finally snapped at his friend. He liked her really, but she could be a real pain in the ass sometimes!

It was the next afternoon and they were back at Yugi's, still a bit red eyed from the previous night. Their movie marathon had not ended until three A.M., when Peter Falk had whispered to a young Fred Savage 'As you wish.'" By then they had long since stopped caring who married Buttercup, or if Robin Hood survived the Pit of Despair. Hell, by then Joey thought that Maid Marion would have done much better to go after the Holy Grail herself, and who cared if the Nazi's took over Guilder! They were ruled over by the evil Lord Fezzik! That shrimp deserved to die just for saying 'Inconceivable' as if it were going out of fashion! And what was Indiana Jones doing trying to duel with King Richard anyway? Wasn't Indigo supposed to do that? The movies had made no sense to him!

Yugi came over with some strong coffee for all of them.

"You'd think we all went out drinking last night." He mumbled as he passed them each a mug. "Has either of you seen Tristan or Bakura today?"

"Nope, and I don't expect to." Joey took a large gulp of coffee. "Tristan said something about sleeping until noon tomorrow when he left."

"What about Bakura?" Tea asked.

"He's actually still upstairs." Yugi told them. "His dad is going to be away until the end of the school year. When Grandpa heard him talking about it with us the other day, he insisted that he stay here till his father came home." 

"Oh, that was so nice of him!" Tea exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, don't think Bakura just said yes right away." Yugi continued. "He tried to say no, that he was used to it and it was fine, but Grandpa wouldn't take no for an answer. He finally agreed, as long as Grandpa let him help out in the shop and stuff."

"You know, I wondered why so much of Bakura's stuff was here for just an over-night." Tea mused. Then, somewhat puzzled, "But if you knew where he was, why did you ask if we'd seen him?" 

"Oh, I just wondered if he'd managed to get up yet. It turns out he was up later than all of us."

"Wadda ya mean?" Joey asked.

"Grandpa told me when he came down to start breakfast this morning that Bakura was awake and still going. Didn't you notice how clean it was down here this morning?" he asked in a lower voice. "He never went to sleep! He stayed up and cleaned the kitchen, and everything in sight, I think!"

Joey and Tea looked around. Yugi was right, the place did look clean, cleaner in fact, than before their movie marathon!

"Wow." Was all either of them could muster.

Joey got a somewhat sly look on his face. "Do ya think Bakura would clean my bedroom?"

"You couldn't afford me, I don't think." Said a gentle, friendly voice.

"Yikes!" Joey and Tea jumped about a foot in the air as their pale, almost ghostly friend came up quietly behind them.

Bakura smiled good-naturedly at them, before turning to Yugi. "Is there anymore coffee?" He asked still sounding tired.

"Sure! Sit down! I'll go get you some!" Clearly the coffee was taking affect on Yugi.

"Eh, so, ah how much of that didja hear?" Joey asked, uncomfortably.

"All of it. It's alright though!" he continued quickly at the sight of Joey's look of shame. "I told Mr. Moto I wanted to help out while I was here. I just don't think he expected to see me cleaning at four in the morning." He paused to yawn and stretch for a moment. "Really, I think I startled him earlier."

Bakura took the chair next to Joey, and they started chatting.

"So, have you figured out what to do about your problem?" he asked.

Joey frowned slightly. "Yeah, I asked Tea, and she practically gives me the third degree because I can't dance!"

"I did not!" Tea said indignantly. "I was just surprised since they teach some basic dance in gym class! I just thought that you would at least know how to dance a little!"

"Err, well actually…"

"What is it Joey?" Yugi had just returned with Bakura's coffee, which he accepted gratefully.

Joey mumbled something incoherently into his mug.

"What was that?" Tea asked.

He took a large swig of coffee before he answered. "I kinda skipped those classes, actually." He finally admitted.

"WHAT?" they all practically shouted.

"Hey, there weren't any girls in my class that year! No WAY was I gonna learn how to dance holding hands with a guy!"

His three friends started laughing, although not too loudly.

"Alright Joey," Tea finally said a moment later. "I'll teach you how to dance."

"Thank you!" he said with a look of exasperation. You'd think she enjoyed torturing him!

"Your welcome." She replied, then looked thoughtful for a minute.

"I promised my mom I'd help her with something later, and I have a dance lesson tomorrow that's going to run most of the afternoon, so how about right after school on Monday?"

Joey practically beamed. "Aww, thanks Tea, you're the best!"

"No problem." She smiled back. "By the way, what are you going to wear?"

"Huh? For what, you teaching me how to dance?" 

"No, actually, I was thinking about when you take Serenity to the dance." 

"Oh, that!" he finally answered. "Oh, uh, let's see, uuuhhhhmm…."

"Is something wrong Joey?" Yugi asked.

"No, it's nothing!" he said. "It's just that, well, eerrmm…"

"You don't have anything to wear to this, do you?" Tea said

"Not unless they don't mind me wearin' jeans and a tee-shirt." He mumbled.

"Hmmm." Tea mused for a moment. "I think we're gonna need a little more help."

That Monday at Three O'clock, Joey was waiting for Tea at the Mall. She hadn't said why to meet her there, _"I thought she was gonna show me how to dance!" _ He thought to himself. _"Where da heck is she?"_

"Joey!" Tea had just arrived.

Unfortunately, not alone.

"Tea! What are they all doin' here?!" he demanded, indicating Yugi, Tristan, Bakura and someone else he couldn't see clearly yet. It was awfully bright out. "I thought you were gonna teach me how to dance, not publicly humiliate me!"

"Relax Joey!" Tristan spoke up. "We're here for moral support and encouragement!"

"As if that will help."

They all turned in the direction of whoever had just spoken. It's not as if they didn't already know who it was.

"Kaiba." Joey let the name of the arrogant, young duelist hang in the air. Seto Kaiba though, only just smirked. Then he turned to Tea.

"You really think that you can teach this oaf how to dance?" he sneered. "I'd pay big money to see that, but fortunately, if you're planning on doing what I think you are, I won't have to."

Tea glared back at him, not the least bit put off, or intimidated. "Oh, give it a rest Kaiba!" she shot back. "Just because you'd probably give any girl who danced with you frost bite is no excuse to be nasty!"

A minute ago Joey had wanted to punch Kaiba's lights out. Now all he could do was laugh!

"Hahahaha! Eh, good one, Tea!" he cheered.

"Laugh all you like mutt," Kaiba continued in a lower, nastier tone "but she'd have better luck with a trained monkey, and your just barely half way to that." With that, Seto Kaiba turned and left, heading towards the main entrance of the mall.

"Why that low-down-" Joey began, but never got to finish.

"Never mind him, hon. Let's just get going." Came a familiar, friendly voice from somewhere behind him.

"Wha, Mai? Why're you here?" Joey asked, mildly astonished.

The tall, blonde Mai Valentine smiled at him. "Tea called me the other day and told me you had a fashion emergency, right before inviting me to come along." 

Joey felt himself flush. Did he really want Mai to be watching him learn how to dance?

"Err, it's no big deal, really. I just need something that don' look like I live in it." He tried to say in an off hand tone. Mai always made him nervous.

"In other words, Tea was right." Mai continued as they went in the mall. "You need major help."

"Hey!" Joey tried to sound offended, but he knew she was right. He had looked through all of his clothes and found nothing even remotely decent enough to go to a dance in.

"Don't worry Joey! This is gonna be fun!" Tea told him brightly.

"If you say so." He mumbled. Were Yugi and Tristan snickering at him?

"Okay, here we are!"

He was stunned.

They were standing in front of the arcade!

Then he realized what Tea had planned.

"You want me to get up in that dance thing and learn there?" he asked.

"Yep, and don't worry, I'll be right there with you." She smiled at him. "I told you this would be fun!" 

Well, he guessed it wouldn't be too bad. There weren't too many people around yet, and he could always stop to get a soda if he needed to, not to mention the enticing smell of fresh pizza coming from the back. Tea was right. This could be a lot of fun!

"Okay, what do we do first?" he asked.

"Hey guy's!" said a friendly voice from just behind them.

They all turned, and were greeted by the sight of two of their friends from school, both exchange students from America.

"Oh, hi Mamono! Hi Kristina!" Yugi, ever friendly, greeted them. "What are you guys up to?"

"About the same thing as you guys, I think." Mamono answered. "Only we had planned more on Air Hockey, than dancing."

Joey frowned. "How'd you know that's why we were here?"

Kristina took on a slightly sarcastic look, as she folded her arms across her chest. "Well, you are standing in front of the Dance Dance Revolution station, so it was sort of a tip-off."

"Oh, well, um, we just thought we'd try a few things out with this thing! That's all!" Joey had suddenly gone a deep shade of red.

"Mmhmm." Mamono answered before turning to the rest of them. "Hey, did any of you guys see Kaiba in school today?"

"No, but we just caught the live show, so to speak, on our way in." Tristan answered. What either girl saw in Seto Kaiba, he would never understand. Yet, almost immediately after the two had started at Domino High, they had insisted on befriending the rather intimidating young CEO. Even though Kaiba had fiercely denied it, at first, they had all noticed when he had actually seemed to show an interest in getting to know them. 

Tristan smiled at the memory. It was somewhere around the time Kaiba had decided to put his ever-present book down, and trade barbs with the sharp tongued Mamono, and the spirited Kristina. Mamono had gotten got quite a few good one's in too, as he recalled. So had Kris, the 'Mistress of one-liners', as Joey had once called her. Oh well, Kaiba was always on the look out for a 'worthy dueling opponent', as he put it, and he'd lucked out. He'd found two.

He shook his head, realizing he'd missed most of the conversation. Bakura was just telling Kristina something about how it wasn't unusual for Kaiba to not show up in school every now and then, because of Kaiba Corp.. Yugi, meanwhile, was reassuring Mamono that he had looked well, if not a little more intense, and it was probably nothing to worry about.

"Well, if you guy's are sure." Mamono said, but not looking convinced.

"Come on," Kris urged. "He's a big boy, he can take care of himself. Besides, if it were something really serious he'd tell us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She brushed her gingery hair out of her face, and smiled at them. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt what you guy's were doing."

"Eh, that's okay!" Joey answered brightly. "See you guys in class tomorrow?"

"You bet!" Kris called cheerfully as they walked away. He heard them say something about getting pizza.

Pizza.

Man, he was starving!

Tea, however, recognized the look on Joey's face and intercepted him.

"Forget it." She told him. "No snacks until we get in at least an hours worth of practice."

"Aww, c'mon Tea! I'm starving!" he whined.

"Do you want to get sick all over the floor?" she asked him.

"What, you expected better from the mutt?"

Oh god, not twice in one day.

Tea turned fiercely on Kaiba. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked frigidly.

Kaiba features had turned into an unpleasant sneer. "Only that it's common knowledge that a dog will eat it's own-"

"Seto!" a young voice cried out. "Look who I found!"

Mokuba Kaiba had come running up, closely followed by Mamono and Kristina.

The tension that had been building between the two teens suddenly evaporated. For the most part, anyway. It was amazing how they had come under the mutual understanding that no matter how much they disliked each other, they wouldn't get into it in front of his little brother.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Kris greeted him. "Playing a little hooky today, were we?"

"Don't be absurd! I had an appointment today. That's all."

"See? Toldya he was just fine!" she said, turning to Mamono.

"Hey, were you guy's gonna dance or something?" Mokuba spoke up.

Joey suddenly got an idea.

"Yeah, actually you're big brother here was just gonna show us some dance moves. Ain't that right, Kaiba?"

Kaiba's face took on a neutral expression for a moment. Then, he smiled. Rather like a shark, before it attacks. "Of course Wheeler, if you insist." He then turned to Mamono. "Would you care to dance?"

She smirked at him. "Only if I get to chose the music."

"Fair enough." He agreed.

As Mamono went to pick something out, and Kaiba said something to Kristina and Mokuba, Joey nudged his friends over a bit.

"This should be good!" he said.

"Uh, Joey you should know something." Tea said, an ominous tone in her voice.

"Yeah, what is it?" Kaiba and Mamono were just climbing up on the 'stage' as the music started. Joey recognized it as 'Kung Fu Fighting'. A really good song, one of his favorites.

"Well, you may have skipped those dance lessons in gym class, but Kaiba didn't."

"What?" he said as he began to understand Tea's words.

"Yeah, he was pretty good too." She added.

Joey looked up to see for himself just how good he was, and cringed. He'd seen a movie once with Fred Astaire. Right now he thought Mr. Astaire would have asked Kaiba for lessons. He just couldn't believe what he saw!

There was Seto Kaiba dancing with Mamono! He was moving to the fast paced, energetic song as fluidly and gracefully as if it were part of his own natural rhythm. It was amazing! He didn't seem to miss a step! Even worse though, was how brightly Mamono was smiling at him! She was really good too, seeming to move in perfect time with both the music, and Kaiba.

__

'Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting, (c'mon, hua whoo-ha)

Those kids were fast as lightning.' (Ha, whoo-cha)

In fact it was a little bit frightening, (Hua, hua-hua)

But they fought with expert timing. (Ha)

By the time the song ended Joey felt sick. He would never be able to listen to that song in the same way, again. He just couldn't believe how well Kaiba could dance. It didn't seem fair!

As Kaiba walked past them with Mamono, he stopped in front of Tea. "Funny, she doesn't _seem_ to be frost-bitten." He said in a low drawl. Then, walking quickly over to his brother, who was now chatting with both Kristina and Mamono, he asked if they were ready for pizza.

Joey slowly sank into a seat behind him. This just wasn't his day.

"Come on, Joey. Forget about it! You don't have to be as good as Kaiba to be good enough to take Serenity to the dance."

He looked up at Mai's kind words. She was kneeling at eye level in front of him, with one hand gripping his shoulder.

"Besides," she went on, "She didn't want you to take her because of your dancing ability. She asked because she wants to go with you."

That brought a small smile to his face. He released a long sigh.

Mai was right. He wasn't entering a dance competition, after all. He just needed to know enough so he didn't step on his sister's feet every two seconds! Getting back to his feet, he turned back to Tea. "So are we gonna dance, or what?"

"C'mon Joey, you can even pick out the music." Tea gently pulled him over to the console. Looking over the selection, he quickly found one he liked and started up the machine.

"Alright, this is going to be really simple at first." Tea began as they got up on the stage. "Just hold my hands like this at first." Tea demonstrated holding her own hands up and slightly out at about shoulder height. Gently gripping her hands, he waited for her next instructions.

"Okay, now what you want to do is stay in the same general area so you don't bump into anyone. Sort of in a small circle, okay?"

"Right, got it. Small circle, no bumping people."

"Good. Now, just watch my feet as we go for now, okay?"

Joey looked down and saw what Tea meant. If he didn't pay attention, he would end up breaking one of her toes! He just had to watch where she was going, and follow her lead. It was a little awkward, though, with them standing apart rather than together.

"You're doing great Joey! Just try to follow the beat a little more, okay? It should help. No, no, don't step too far back! That's better, now slow down your pace just a little. That's it! You're getting it!"

He couldn't believe how easy this was, even if they were about three feet apart. He was starting to get comfortable with how to move his feet around, when Tea suddenly looked up at him, (she'd been watching his feet) and said, "Okay, now you lead!"

"Excuse me?" You'd think she'd just asked him to jump on her shoulders.

"It's okay, you can do it!" She then moved his hands around so he was holding one of hers at shoulder height, and the other was on her waist.

"Alright, if you insist." This felt like a bad idea to him.

It was.

As soon as Joey tried to lead Tea, he immediately stepped behind her right foot as he pushed her back a little too hard. Then, as he tried to pull her back towards him, they both ended up tripping and landed hard on the floor. Owie.

Tristan and Mai came over to help. "Are you guys okay?" Tristan asked them, as he helped Tea up. "You looked alright for awhile, until-"

Mai gave him a sharp nudge in the ribs. "Don't worry about it, hon." She said as she pulled Joey to his feet. "Everyone messes up at first."

As he got up, he turned to Tea. "Are you okay?"

Tea tested her weight on her right foot, and smiled. "I'm fine, it's no worse than when I stumble in dance class. Wanna take a break?"

"Eh, do you even have ta ask?" He couldn't believe how tired he was! It was only dancing, after all, not a marathon!

They headed for the tables, and spotted Yugi and Bakura headed for one of the larger ones with pizza, sodas, and chips.

"You guys looked ready for a break, so we went ahead and got our food." Yugi told them as they sat down. Joey gratefully took a couple slices of pizza from the tray, along with a large handful of chips. As he reached for one of the pitchers of soda they had brought over, he noticed Bakura was staring at his lap, blushing deeply, and touching nothing. Nudging Yugi, he indicated their friends' strange behavior and gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, we bumped into Kristina again when we were getting our food." He told them.

"Oh? What'd she have to say?" Tristan was focused on his food, and hadn't noticed Bakura blush even deeper.

"Nothing much." Yugi told them. "Just that she and Mamono were going back to the states soon, and wanted to know if someone wanted to get together before then."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun! What'd they have in mind?" Tea was pouring herself and Mai sodas.

"Actually," he glanced over at Bakura "she asked Bakura if he would like to go to a movie with her before then."

Tristan looked up at his no longer pale friend, and smiled. "Hey, way to go, man! So, what did you say?"

"Not much." He answered.

"Well, what did you say?" Tristan pressed on.

"Oh, uh, I think I said something that might have sounded like yes," Bakura continued, not looking up. "Because the next thing I know, she was smiling, and giving me her phone number so I could call her later." 

Mai was now looking at him confused. "Is there something wrong? I mean, you like her, right?"

"'Course I do." He mumbled quietly, still staring at his untouched food.

"So, then what's wrong with you going out with her? She seems really nice."

He finally looked up at Mai. "I don't know how to talk to a girl on a date."

To her credit, Mai didn't laugh at him. Instead she turned to Tea, and asked "Are they always this hopeless?" This caused a few sounds of protest from the guys.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Tea uttered.

"Look, Bakura, just talk to her about anything that interests her." Mai told him. "It's not that hard. I mean, you guys must have a few things in common; otherwise she wouldn't have asked you. C'mon, what do you know about her?"

Bakura thought for a moment. "She likes Duel Monsters." He finally said.

"Well then, there you go! You have something to work with." She told him encouragingly. "Just talk to her about that, and go from there. She's not going to take your head off if she doesn't have a good time." This got a small smile from him. He even seemed to chuckle at it a little. Tristan gave him a weird look.

"Just trying to imagine Kristina coming after me dressed as the Reaper of Cards if she doesn't have a good time." He admitted, sheepishly. This got everyone laughing.

Mai got up and wiped her hands on a napkin. "Okay, I'm gonna go wash my hands. When I get back, we can go start looking for something decent for you to wear Joey."

"Uh, Mai, I dunno if I mentioned this, but I'm kinda a bargain basement shopper."

"And I am the ultimate bargain hunter!" Mai informed him. "Didn't you know? When the dueling circuit dies down for a while, I work as a personal shopper. Why else do you think Tea called me?" With that, Mai turned and headed for the ladies room.

As Joey watched her leave, he couldn't help but think this could either be very good, or very, very bad.

A.N.: For anyone who might be wondering, actor Cary Elwes played both Westley in "The Princess Bride", and Robin Hood in "Men in Tights". Interestingly enough, he was the first and only British Actor to ever play Robin Hood in a movie. In other words, Joey was more awake than he realizes if he picked up on that. Yes, I know Mai has said Dueling is her way of making a living, 'without ever having to actually work', but her being a personal shopper makes sense, and fits her character.

I apologize for this chapter being so late, but I hope the length of it makes up for that. Besides, Mamono would have killed me if she had to wait one day longer. (No, Hon, you weren't annoying me!) Speaking of which, expect to see more of her in another fic I'm going to be working on involving the Kaiba brothers. (More of Kristina too, if she doesn't mind! She is better known as Dark Shadow Flame! Go read her fic 'Ties of Friendship'.) I will try to have the next chapter out by this weekend.

Review please!


	5. Fear of Formalwear

I'M BACK!

I am so sorry! I didn't mean to leave this fic unfinished for so long! The holidays got really busy for me, then I couldn't concentrate on ANY of my stories! I hope this chapter makes up for my long absence!

Aura Black Chan (turns to see Mokuba): Hey, how are you? Why isn't your brother with you?

Mokuba (shrugging casually) Oh, he's stuck in Egypt in one of Mamono's fics.

Aura:::You don't seem too upset about it.

Mokie (smiling) Oh, she wouldn't really hurt him, especially after you got him to dance with her in the last chapter!

Aura (smiling) Well it's nice to know you're not worried. You read the last chapter?

Mokie:::Yeah! It was really good, except…

Aura:::What is it?

Mokie:::Well, what was up with Seto? I mean, he seemed kinda upset about something.

Aura::: Oh, well don't worry. I'm going to explain that in my fic 'Brotherly Bonds', so don't think I'm gonna leave you hanging.

Mokie (excited) When's it gonna be updated?

Aura:::Hmmm, soon.

Mokie:::How soon?

Aura:::I'll start working on it again after I post Chapter Five.

Mokie:::Okay!

Aura:::Wanna do the disclaimer? (Braces herself)

Mokie:::Yeah! AURA BLACK CHAN DOES NOT OWN YU-GI-OH!!!!

Aura (quietly) Always the yelling….

Chapter 5: Fear of Formalwear

Joey looked up at the clock for the hundredth time in nearly twenty minutes and let out a small, audible growl of frustration. It now read 11:49.

'Where da heck are dey? I've been here since forev-'

"Joey?"

"Huh?" he turned at the sound of his name being called by a very familiar voice.

"Joey!" Serenity, now certain that it was indeed he came running up, flinging her arms around her brother. Joey only smiled as he returned her fierce embrace.

After a few moments like this he finally released her, a goofy grin spreading across his face.

"Hey Sis! Long time no see!"

Serenity beamed at her brother. "I know, it feels like Battle City was ages ago! I'm so glad you could come!" She suddenly gripped him in an even tighter embrace than before.

"Hello Joseph."

Joey turned again at the sound of his name.

"Hey Ma. It's good to see ya again."

A rather awkward smile spread across his mother's face. "It's good to see you too. Is this everything you brought with you?" she asked, noting both his duffel bag and what looked to be a garment bag.

"Eh, yeah. That's all of it."

"Are you hungry? Have you had anything to eat yet?" She'd already started to gather up his things for him.

"Yeah, I had a snack when I got off the train, but…. Ma! I can carry my own bags y'know!" His duffel alone must've weighed at least fifty pounds, but his mother lifted it as though it were nothing. When he tried to take it from her, she only put up a pacifying hand, a firm look on her face.

"No Joey, I will carry your things to the car. I'd thought we could stop somewhere for lunch, or if you'd like we could just go strait home and I'll make something for all of us."

Joey considered this as they moved through the parking lot by the station; Going out to eat could be fun, but he really was kinda beat from the trip up here.

"Let's go home." He said.

His mother and sister, both of whom were just ahead of him, turned and smiled brightly.

"I was hoping you'd say that." His mother told him warmly. "C'mon then, let's go home!"

As she was putting his things in the trunk she noticed the garment bag looked new and made a somewhat crinkly sound when she put it down; almost as if the clothes inside were still in their dry cleaner bags.

"Joey, are all these things new?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! The stuff _in_ the garment bag, anyway."

"Well," she continued with a smile, "I can't wait to see what you're planning to wear!"

Serenity suddenly turned to him, a look of worry on her face. "Oh Joey, I'm sorry! We should have offered to take you clothes shopping for this. I mean, you only had to get them because of my dance! I hope you didn't end up spending all your money for it."

Joey only shrugged. "Nah, it was no big deal. Anyway, don't worry about it! I'd spend my last dime on you if I needed to!" This last statement caused Serenity to blush.

"Well, still she's right. We should have at least offered." His mother said these last words in a distracted tone as she slowly guided her car out of the parking lot into the main flow of traffic. "Did you have trouble finding something to wear?"

"Oh no, that was no problem!" He told her cheerily from his place next to Serenity in the back seat.

"No problem at all!"

This was a very big problem!

The last time Joey had new clothes for a special occasion it was for his Great Aunts funeral when he was six, and he wasn't the one who bought them. He'd long since outgrown those clothes and the nicest ones he'd had since then were his uniforms for school, which he later decided was pretty pathetic. His mother had picked out the funeral clothes knowing exactly what would look good on him without even having to bring him with her.

Now he was at the mercy of Mai Valentine who, for all he knew, would dress him up like a fool for her own amusement.

"Oh, stop looking so worried Joey! I wouldn't make you look stupid for Serenity's dance, so relax! Remember, I'm doing this for her too!"

Joey suddenly realized that what he was thinking must have shown on his face, so he tried doing as Mai suggested.

Easier said than done.

This was the fourth store they'd gone to looking for the right clothes. She'd sent Yugi, Bakura and Tristan into one store to find shoes for him and that was the extent of how much she would let them help. Tea was with the two of them, hoping to speed up the search. At every other place they'd been to Mai had decided that what they had was either tacky, over priced, or "Not fit to bury a street bum in!" So now they were looking at some clothes which were a bit pricier than the others were, but at least looked nice.

"Finally! I wondered if we'd at least find some decent shirts!"

Joey turned to see what Mai considered a 'decent shirt'.

They were standing in front of a circular rack with several different shades of button down dress shirts, all of which looked pretty much the same to him. Mai had pulled out three for him to try on.

"Alright, we'll start with these and work our way from there. Well? Go on! They're not going to button themselves on you, y'know!"

Joey stared down at the shirts Mai had handed him for a moment. One was white, another light blue, and the last some lighter shade of brown. They looked okay.

"Tea, have you found anything yet?" He suddenly noticed that Mai had moved off to the other side of the store where Tea had been looking for pants and a dinner jacket for him.

"I think we may be in luck!" Tea proclaimed loudly. She was proudly holding up two pairs of casual dress pants that she had wrestled from another rack.

"Great job Hon! Either one of these should be perfect!" Taking the pants from Tea, Mai brought them over to Joey whom she noticed was starting to look uneasy again.

She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and made him look at her. "Don't look so worried Joseph. You'll look fine in these, I promise." Her smile then brightened. "Now lets go see which one's look best on you, okay?"

Joey, after feeling the genuine warmth and kindness Mai was radiating, finally started to feel better about the shopping trip. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. At least it couldn't get any worse! After he'd tripped Tea on the dance floor he'd told her after their pizza, that he didn't want to come back here to do that again, so she compromised; If he let her keep teaching him how to dance, the lessons would be confined to either her house or Yugi's. That was fine with him as long as there wasn't an audience for his embarrassment this time.

"Hey Joey, are you changed up yet?" Tea had joined Mai by the changing rooms shortly after he'd entered, and it sounded as though she had brought company with her. He heard Mai say something about how she'd assumed that they were the responsible ones in the group, and why the hell had they gotten these? She sounded furious with these people!

He had to check it out!

Making sure that the pants were zipped and the shirt buttoned Joey stepped outside the changing area to see Mai's latest victims.

Uh oh.

There stood Yugi, Tristan and Bakura with varying degrees of fear on their faces. Tristan stood between the other two holding what looked like a shoebox. Mai looked like she was going to kill all three of them.

"What?!? I gave you a simple job to do and you mess it up?!? What's with these shoes?!?" She then reached into the box Tristan was holding and held one up as if she couldn't believe what she saw. That's when Joey saw why she was so upset. She was holding what had to be one of the ugliest sneakers he'd ever seen in his life! It was bright orange and red with some sort of strange black design all over it making it seem more appropriate for Halloween than Serenity's dance.

"But Mai," Tristan finally spoke up, "they were on sale! We thought you'd be happy that we managed to score such a good deal!"

"Good deal? How are these ugly things a good deal?!?"

Tristan paled slightly under Mai's ferocity.

"Er, they were buy one get one free?"

"WHAT?!?" Mai just about exploded at this last statement. "Are you telling me that someone had the audacity to make more than one pair of these things?!?"

Joey had caught Yugi's eye from the door and noticed that there was something strange about the way his friend looked. What was going on? Then he noticed the slightly mischievous gleam in Yugi's eyes.

No way! Tristan had convinced Yugi and Bakura to go along with him on a joke? This was too good to miss, so he continued watching from the doorway. That was when it was Bakura's turn to speak up.

"Um, actually this is a very popular formal look in some parts of the Mediterranean."

Mai then shifted her glare to their pale British friend and spoke in a deadly calm voice. "Excuse me, but what difference does that make? Are you saying that you picked these out on purpose?!?"

Bakura, wavering only slightly under Mai's intensity tried again. "Well, yes, you see-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Mai proclaimed throwing the lurid shoe she was holding back into the box. "Now take these vile things back and get the right shoes!"

"Mai, don't you want to see the other pair we got first?"

She turned to Yugi looking wary. "I'm sorry, did you just say 'other pair of shoes'?"

Yugi then took a box from behind his back, holding it out to her.

Mai took the box, looking at them suspiciously. "I can't imagine what else you three would pi-" She'd stopped mid-sentence when she opened the shoebox Yugi had handed her.

Joey watched as Mai pulled out exactly the kind of shoe that she had sent them to get. A dead silence had come over the group since Mai was no longer shouting at them. Instead she looked like she was going to murder them!

Joey couldn't help himself anymore, it was too much! He just bent over and started laughing! This soon got everyone going to the point where most of them were almost on the floor in hysterics!

Mai, looking as if she might be plotting revenge for some later date, gave them a somewhat frigid smile. "Thanks _so_ much boys. I can always count on you for something like this." She then turned to see Joey still bent over and flushed from peels of laughter.

"If you're done now can I see how the clothes look on you before I kill you?"

Joey straitened up then. "Aww, I'm sorry Mai, but that was just too good-"

"Mmhmm, lets see how you look, before I change my mind about putting you in a monkey suit."

"Yes ma'am."

"Let's see now." Mai was now fussing over some of the smaller details, a thoughtful tone in her voice. Joey had put on the white shirt with the blue (Tea had called them navy) pants. He thought it looked pretty good considering he never really wore clothes like this.

"Pull the shirt out a bit, you look like you just came out of the bathroom."

Joey did as he was told, wondering when Mai would make up her mind about the clothes.

"Alright, let's see how the shoes look with it." Mai picked up the box she had set down on the floor only to find that Tristan had switched it again with the sneakers.

Okay, that was it, Mai had had enough. Picking up the box, she went up to Tristan who was trying to look innocent. It didn't save him though.

"Tristan," She began with a voice that would make any guy fall to his knees. "If you don't stop fooling around, I'll tell Serenity that you screamed like a girl when you saw the eyeball soup at Duelist Kingdom."

"Uh, that was Bakura not me." Bakura scowled slightly as Tristan began to sweat.

"Are you sure about that? Why don't we ask the others what happened since they were there too. I'm sure they can recall every detail of Duelist Kingdom perfectly."

Tristan, who was now sweating buckets, looked away from Mai's piercing glare and returned the shoes. Mai smiled at him sweetly, her anger now forgotten.

"Thanks hon. Here Joey, try these on."

Joey put on the shoes wondering how much longer this was going to take. They were just getting clothes after all! It's not like when you go car shopping and you ask about options, standards, safety ratings and stuff like that! These are just….clothes!

"Aww, Joey, you look so handsome!" Tristan said in a teasing voice.

"Shaddup!" Joey's patience for this whole thing was almost gone.

"Well, he's right you know." Mai told him. "You do look handsome! Go see for yourself!"

"Alright already! I'm goin'!"

Joey went the mirror he'd passed a moment before, and was stunned. He actually looked _good_ in these clothes! It was amazing! He'd expected to feel awkward or out of place in something that wasn't a tee shirt and jeans, but these clothes did seem to suit him.

"Well? Did we do good work, or what?"

Joey turned to Mai and smiled broadly at her. "Yeah, you guy's did good, thank you. I mean that too. This is ten times better than anything I would've picked out on my own, thank you."

Mai and Tea both smiled at his extravagant praise pleased that Joey was happy with what they'd found for him. Tea continued looking at Joey as though considering something.

"Do you think he still needs a dinner jacket?" She asked as she turned to Mai, who in turn looked at Joey.

"This is a dinner dance, right?"

"Yeah."

"Right, then you should probably get a jacket to go with the pants. Let's see what else they have."

Mai went over to where Tea had found the pants and came across a jacket that looked like it was supposed to go with the ones Joey was wearing.

"Alright, lets see how it looks with everything else!"

Joey pulled on the jacket and went back to the mirror to see how it looked.

Perfect.

Everything looked great together! He could tell by looking at Mai and Tea's faces that they agreed with him.

"Joey, you look good!" Tristan proclaimed. "Now all you need is a little spinning bow tie to finish the look and you'll be all set!"

"NO!" Mai, Tea, and Joey said in one voice.

"Okay, it looks like we're all set then." Mai decided. "Joey, go change out of those so we can pay for them. Don't forget to get them dry cleaned before the dance."

"Okay, I'll be right back." A tremendous wave of relief passed over Joey now that this ordeal was over. He'd meant it, he was grateful to the girls for their help, but he could only stand so much of this. He'd felt like a damned dress up doll the whole time! Formal wear was not his thing.

As they left the store a few minutes later, he went over everything else that he had left to do. Dry cleaning was no big deal; he could scrape together a few bucks to have his new stuff done. Bakura had offered to let him use a garment bag his father kept for his own formal suit, saying that he wouldn't mind.

That was when Joey remembered his own father and that if he came home with all these things he would want to know what they were for. How was he going to hide them from him? Lightly tapping Yugi on the shoulder, he pulled his small friend to the back of the group with him.

"Would you mind if I left this stuff at your house?"

Yugi looked puzzled for a moment or two before his eyes widened in understanding.

"Yeah, that'd be okay Joey. I'm sure Grandpa won't mind."

"Thanks man."

From that moment up until the morning Joey left, he decided not to worry too much about anything. He kept busy with the last few weeks of school, (as if anyone does any actual work then), he met Tea at Yugi's house or hers for dance lessons (she assured him he was doing much better), and he just hung out with his friends.

The morning he left his friends had come to see him off (Tristan wearing the ugly sneakers he'd bought) and sent their best wishes to Serenity and her mother. Then Joey spent most of the morning with nothing to do but stare out the window, and think about things. Not something he really liked to do for long stretches of time. It wasn't that he didn't care, or that his mind was an endless void, as some people have accused him of before. It just seemed that too much time alone with his thoughts had a way of making him anxious, or overly think things. Such as where he wanted to live.

"We're here!"

"Huh? Wha-what's up? Where are we?"

Serenity smiled at his question. "You really can't think on an empty stomach, can you?"

__

"No, actually, the problem was that I was thinking too much just now." He thought to himself, but he only asked again "So, where is here?"

She just tilted her head and smiled at him as she answered. "Home"

A thousand apologies to my readers/reviewers for this many times delayed chapter! I will try to be a better person about updating my stories (all of them!) and get the next chapter out as soon as possible! Didja hear that Mamono?!?! I UPDATED!!!!!! NOW STOP PRODDING ME, OKAY?!?! Seriously though, if I hadn't been so terrible about updating, I might not have gotten e-mails from you asking where the next chapter is and we wouldn't have gotten to be such good pals! See, there is a bright side to this being soo late!

As for the rest of you, go forth and review!!!!!!


End file.
